


Adam's Song

by ElizabethOlsenIsMySpiritAnimal



Series: The XCOM Anthology Set [4]
Category: XCOM (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Adam's Song (Blink-182), Album: Enema Of The State (Blink-182), Friendship, Gen, Inspired by Music, Light Angst, Memorials, Past Character Death, Post-XCOM 2, Title from a Blink-182 Song, XCOM: Chimera Squad - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24483709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElizabethOlsenIsMySpiritAnimal/pseuds/ElizabethOlsenIsMySpiritAnimal
Summary: There’s a little notebook that sits on Director Kelly’s desk.Naturally, Torque just has to take a look.
Relationships: Jane Kelly (XCOM) & Torque (XCOM)
Series: The XCOM Anthology Set [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1479533
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Adam's Song

**Author's Note:**

> Because I'm bored and none of my other projects are gelling together.

//

“Jane?”

The office of the aforementioned was empty, unfortunately, and for a moment, Torque felt a burst of frustration - one she bit down rather hastily - at the fact she’d forgotten that the Director had gone out for the afternoon. Her first instinct was to turn around and leave, and maybe go back to her room and continue ignoring the world until she was needed to shoot, stab, bite, impale, beat, crush, bind, fling, mutilate, mangle or cripple something. 

Except…

...there was, lying innocently on the desk of Chimera Squad’s Director, a notebook. A simple little thing, a dull red, with distinctive scuffs and marks on it, showing that at the very least it had seen some use.  _ Odd.  _ Thought Torque, as she meandered into the room and took a moment to observe the notebook.  _ Since when does Jane leave things lying around?  _

Chimera Squad’s Director had not brought much with her to the eponymous team’s HQ. Besides standard gear and armaments, the retired XCOM operative had brought a photo that occupied the space by her bedside, a ring she wore on her flesh hand, and this...this...notebook, for lack of a better term. 

So naturally, she picked it up.

_ I wonder if it’s a diary?  _ Torque thought, as she flipped open to the first page, but rather than juicy secrets, or much of anything in the way of heartfelt confessions of whatever it was that humans liked to heartfeltly confess over, there was a name.

_ Angela Weaver. _

Torque’s eyes narrowed slightly. Such a strange little thing to write.  _ Code, perhaps?  _ She thought, and then she decided to keep reading, as there were many other names written upon the page.

_ Ronan Kelly. _

_ Ciara Kelly. _

_ Shaojie Zhang. _

On and on this went, and eventually, the inquisitive Viper flipped ahead a couple pages, wondering if this was all that would be in the notebook, and after a few pages, Torque realized the rest of the book was empty, beyond the first several pages. 

“I hope to never have to add to that again.”

Turning around, Torque saw Jane, brown eyes fixated upon the book she held in her hands. “What is it?” Torque asked. 

“A memorial to the fallen.” Jane said, walking over and gently flipping open a page and showing it to her. “Here are the names of everyone XCOM lost,  _ I lost,  _ in the fight against the Elders.” 

“Motivation to take vengeance?” Torque asked.

Jane shook her head. “It’s my way of keeping their memories alive. Some of them were simply those I worked with, but many of them were my friends, family.” She answered. “The least I can do to honor their passing is remember them.”

“I...I understand.” Torque said a moment later, out of a need to say something if nothing else. The young Viper had never experienced loss in the same manner that the Director had, but now that Torque thought about it, she had come to - in her own way - like the team she was working with. Even  _ if  _ the vast majority of Chimera acted in such a manner that made her want to spit acid at them.

But to lose one of them…

“While I don’t get along with the others all of the time-” Began the Viper, awkwardly, as she passed the notebook back to it’s rightful owner. “-in light of this conversation...I will strive to keep a better eye on them during operations. If only so that book of yours won’t have to hold any more names. It seems like something best left as empty as possible.”

“I would appreciate that.” Jane said. “I’ve lost too many people...I’d prefer not to lose any of you. Chimera is the first team I’m leading solely on my own, and well, quirks aside, you guys gel together really well, and I’d like to get you through this crisis gripping the city in one piece.”

“I’ll do my best with the others. Though I can’t guarantee Whisper’s safety if he keeps bugging me.” Torque chimed. “Might actually have to eat him if he asks for one more  _ inspirational quote  _ from me.”

Jane broke out into a smile. “Whatever you say, kid, whatever you say.” She said, as she and Torque exited the room, leaving the book behind on the Director’s desk as they left to go enjoy the rest of the day.

When Chimera began to work a little better in the days to come, well, maybe that was just coincidental, at least as far as Whisper was concerned. But when Jane saw Torque pull Patchwork to safety  _ without  _ insulting her, or Verge and Zephyr work a little more smoothly than before, she knew that word of her little memorial book had gotten around. The sight of the team working together a bit more smoothly made Jane smile, her attitude just a little brighter. 

She had added enough names to the list, with any luck, she wouldn’t have to add more.

//

_ Angela Weaver _

_ Ronan Kelly _

_ Ciara Kelly _

_ Shaojie Zhang _

_ Annette Durand _

_ Raymond Shen _

_ Delta-3 _

_ Delta-1 _

_ Delta-4 _

_ Delta-2 _

_ Big Sky _

_ Peter Osei _

_ Ana Ramirez _

_ Richard L. Jenkins _

_ Kaidan Alenko _

_ Mordin Solus _

_ Thane Krios _

_ Legion _

_ Paul Jackson _

_ Joseph Allen _

_ Simon Riley _

_ Gary Sanderson _

_ John MacTavish _

_ Yuri _

_ Roland _

_ Maya _

_ Lilith _

_ Asaru _

//

**Author's Note:**

> Names reference literally everyone who ever died in my XCOM universe. Or something.


End file.
